Incubator



y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIZA'J. .BRAY,-OF FAIR FOREST, SOUTH CAROLINA:

' INCUBATOR.

' SPECIFICATION forming peet of Letters Patent Ne. 508,808, dated November 14, 189s.

Application tiled Tune 15, 1893. Serial No: ll=77,733. (No model.)

, To all whom t may concern,.- l

Be it known that I, ELIZA J. BRAY', a citizen of the United States, residing at Fair Forest, in the county of Spartanburgl andState of -South Carolina, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Incubatore; and I do hereby declare the following to be'a full,

construction and combination of .parts form-V ing an incubator hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Y Figure I, is avertical section of an incubator according to my invention. Fig. II, is a View looking down upon a cross section at the line x, Fig. I.

represents the outer shell or body of my inlcubator, which is preferably a common ba`rre Y 6 represents a thick coating of common plaster consisting of lime and'sand,with which the sides of the barrel are linedffIhe barrel is divided into two compartments or' chambers by a flooring 8 made of sheet metal such as tin or iron, finely perforated.

9 represents a layer of sand four or five inches deep in the lower chamber, and 10 Va similar layer of sand on the iioor of the upper chamber. i

l1 represents a removable tray adapted to Y receive the desired number of eggs placed in a single layer over its bottom, and lined with feathers 12, and provided with legs. 13 tolsup port it upon the sand lO.

14: `is a brooder consisting of a sheet of flexible material like cloth' having feathers l5 se cured to its under side. While the hatching is in progress this broeder may be laid loosely upon the eggs but assoon as the chickens are hatched it should be stretched upon a hoopk penden tly above the tray.

I prefer to make the opening in the remov- 16 provided with legs 17 to support it indei able top 18 of the barrel not over eight orten inches' in diameter and to cover it with aloose cloth 19.

20 is a trap door in the side of the lower` chamber through which the lamp 2l may be in serted, or be removed at any time for fill'- ing, and there may be any suitable number of these lamps. I find that in practice three lamps turned to burn low serve better than one lamp turned high.

22 represents small air holes through the sides of both chambers for the proper ventilation.

The operation is as follows: Having placed a single layer of eggs in the tray and covered .them over with the brooder described, set the tray centrally within the upper chamber aud bury the legs into the sand enough to give the tray a level position, then replace the top 18 and the cover 19; then iill and light the lamps and set them about equal distances apartin thelower chamber and closethe chamber. The incubator is now in service and the eggs require the usual attention. The plastering described is the least expensive and at The sand in the lower part of the chambers is for the double purpose of retaining the heat and delivering it .slowly and evenly to the upper chamber, and for preventing the eggs from being damaged by any heavy jar or shaking ofthe support u ponwhich the incubator rests. This is an important feature because sand does not transmit vibration or jar, and sand still `further operates as an absorbent for the disagreeable odors which are the natural consequence of egg hatching. The heat of the lower chamber is not only transmitted byconvec'tionV from Vthe metallic flooring tothe sand above,but the air itself passing throughJ the line holes permeates the sand which acts like a strainer to deliver the-air at an equal temperature throughout the whole area of the hatching chamber.

Loose feathers placed upon the eggs would very soon be turned under in turning theeggs during the process'of lmanipulation and I do not find that any kind Yof cloth which I have vthe same time the best means that I know of Y* Vfor retaining the heat within the chambers.

Ioo

tried answers the purpose of a brooder as well as feathers, because they tend to keep the shell of the eggs polished and clean. I have fastened them to the cloth in order that `when the chickens are hatched the feathers may not stick to them', or more properly speaking, that the chickens while yet wet from hatching may by working around pull themselves loose from these feathers which stick to them. In the natural process of hatching, loose feathers stick to the chick but the mother hen picks them off, and to dispense with the services of the mother hen and yet obtain the benefit of the feathers I fasten the feathers to the cloth. As soon as the chickens are all hatched this brooder cloth should be stretched upon the hoop because the Stronger chickens will hop onto this cloth and stay/there to theinconvenience of the weaker ones underneath unless the cloth is supported 2c to keep it from resting upon the weaker ones.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I believe to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

The combination in an incubator of a shell or receptacle divided into two compartments one above the other and each having a floor, the upper floor being of perforated sheet metal; sand upon the upper floor; heating apparatus beneath, and an egg-carrying tray having legs restingin the sand, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELIZA J; BRAY.

Witnesses:

C. C. TURNER,- C. M. SLIG-H. 

